


Can’t Help Falling In Love

by JohnMyBeloved



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: 1960s AU, High School, M/M, No use of n-word, adopted!finn, period typical racism, prom!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 17:52:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14242632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnMyBeloved/pseuds/JohnMyBeloved
Summary: :: mississippi 1963 ::nineteen year old finn skywalker hates his town and the people in it; but he adores his sister rey- maybe that’s why he allows her to drag him to her prom as her stand-in date.he is used to the insults and threats thrown at him, but he never expected to meet a sweet caring guy in the bathroom stalls known as poe dameron.and he just can’t help falling in love a little.





	Can’t Help Falling In Love

  
Mississippi : 1963

 

[ 22nd June ]

  
He didn't want to come anyway. He didn't want anything more to do with this school or these people or this town. He hated everything about the fakery of the evening: the lights, the balloons, the suits and dresses and unhealthy amount of hairspray in the air. In his eyes, there was no point to any of it, it was stupid and uncomfortable and unnecessary.

He held his date's arm lightly as they entered the sea of singing and swinging bodies. This was another thing that he found annoyance with, he didn't even have a date- he had been forced to come with his sister, Rey. He loved her with his entire heart but this was a stretch even for him- she owed him big time.

Rey smiled and brushed his arm gently. He swallowed his anxiety down further into his stomach as the amount and intensity of the looks they received increased drastically as they walked further towards the hall. She seemed to sense his uneasiness and rubbed his arm, whispering into his ear, "everything's going to be alright, I swear. No one is going to do anything, Finn. Principal Organa promised, okay?"

Finn was skeptical but nodded anyway, just wishing for the night to be over.

 

\- - - - - - -

 

[ 12th June ]

It was a boiling afternoon, typical of the June month that had fallen upon the earth. The grass yellowed and cracked under the nagging heat of the sun and over stretched blue of the cloudless sky. A slight breeze swayed the branches of the willows that wept over the Skywalker front lawn but it was not strong enough to make an impact on the human skin.

Finn lay on the grass, book in hand, and basked in the heat. He had unbuttoned his white shirt in an attempt to cool down in the slightest way- knowing that once the clock hit 3 o'clock, he'd need to cover up again and head inside- that was if he didn't wish to have insults and abuse shouted at him by mothers, fathers and even kids on the school run.

"Finn!" Mr Skywalker called from inside the simple suburban abode. The black boy yawned and pushed himself up from the grass, wrapping his shirt around the waist band of his three-quarter-length shorts. The picked up the fallen book with his hand and jogged into the house.

"Yessir?" Finn answered once he had shut the door lightly behind him- it seemed to always get stuck in summer and one would need the strength of all the gods that had ever existed to open it once closed.

Mr Skywalker was almost the opposite of Finn in terms of appearance. The old man had stressed wrinkled white skin that never tanned nor burnt even in the depth of summer. His beard was a patchwork of greys and whites that mingled together to create a smoky looking addition to his face and his eyes were small and a startling blue, although they were rarely seen as the old man's shoulder length hair had a habit of obscuring the world's view of him.

"Han called from the workshop office, somethin' important has come up so I need you to pick up Rey from school," the old man said walking into the kitchen where Finn was fixing himself a glass of water. The boy groaned.

"Really, Luke? Can't you pick her up on the way to the 'shop and take her there- you know how much she loves the cars," he said pleadingly. Luke shook his head.

"No can do, son. I have a feeling I'll be gone for a good while and the girl will get grouchy if she doesn't get her dinner on time- oh you'll need to cook up some leftovers as well," Luke tapped his fingers on the sideboard, "and before you start moanin', you can take the _Falcon_."

Finn shut his mouth before saying anything else. He nodded slowly and rubbed his eyes and brow as he thought. "Okay, I'll get her. But you know that I'll be getting some funny looks off the folks down there."

"Ignore 'em, son. People like them jackasses are stuck in the past. They think that they're their great-granddaddies and mommas who owned the plantations but they're nothing more than common folk with a superiority complex. They'll change one day, Finn."

Finn smiled weakly and allowed himself to be pulled into a one armed embrace by Luke. "Thanks, Luke. Tell Chewie _hola_ from me, and Han that I'm up for any extra hours that he has going."

"Will do, take care and drive safe, son. I'll see you later," Luke patted his shoulder and grabbed his tool back before leaving the house and reentering the world of D'Qar, Mississippi.

Finn placed the empty glass against his forehead, revelling in its coldness, then put it into the sink moments later and sliding on his shirt, doing up all buttons but the top and rolling the sleeves up to his elbow. He unhooked the car keys from the single nail on the hallway wall and spun them around his finger as he left the house under the protection of the Skywalker German Shepard, Artoo.

 

-

  
The ride in the _Falcon_ was uneventful until he pulled up in the parking lot of Resistance High amongst the swarm of teens and parents alike.

The car itself was the Skywalker's most precious possession. The _Millennium Falcon_ was quickly becoming an antique in the world of Chevys, Fords and Volkswagens: acquired by Luke following his return to the States in early '45 from a Nazi POW camp.

It was about the same size of a Camaro and was an off-white colour with a large band of blue across the rear boot. But the best thing about it was that in hot weather, they could pull back the roof and feel the wind on their faces. It was Finn and Rey's job to clean it by hand, inside and out, every Sunday after dinner while Luke stood in the kitchen, looking out into the drive, usually shouting that they had missed a bit.

Rey was in her final year, he thought, meaning that in September he'd no longer be forced into riding into the centre of D'Qar to pick her up. She had been looking at colleges in the nearby towns of Naboo and Endor, against the wishes of Luke and himself who knew that she would excel at Yale or NYU, but she was way too stubborn to listen.

His watch told him it was 3:25 yet he still couldn't see his sister, he prayed that she didn't have band practice or something that Luke had forgotten to tell him about.

"Oi boy! What do you think y'all doin' here?" A gruff voice shouted from his left. Finn sighed and rubbed away a growing headache from his forehead. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over at the heckler as he shouted again, "I'm talkin' to you! What the hell d'you think you're doin'?"

The man seemed to be in his mid-forties and sported a flat, grey mess of hair and blue denim dungarees. A jagged scar ran down his forehead and another across his cheek, both a dark pink against a sweaty white, and hanging from his neck were two Korea-worn dog tags- clicking together every time the man took a breath or moved. He slammed his hand down on the hood of the _Falon_ , startling Finn from his slight haze.

"I'm just waiting to pick up my sister, sir. I don't want to cause any trouble," Finn replied calmly.

The man narrowed his eyes at him, scrutinising every piece of Finn that he could. "Is that so? Who's your sister, huh?"

A cough interrupted from the front of the car, "Me; Rey Padmé Skywalker at your service. Was there something you wanted, _sir_?" Rey said with a sickly sweet smile plastered to her face. Finn smiled lightly at her self assured tone and the man's confused expression, his eyes flickering backwards and forwards, from Rey to Finn, from Finn to Rey.

"No, Miss Skywalker. It's jus' I've never seen this young man before and wanted to make sure that he wasn't causin' no trouble-",

"-Well I assure you, Mr Snoke, my brother is as respectable as men can come. Now if you don't mind us, we have somewhere to be in great urgency," Rey interrupted and jumped in the car, elbowing Finn into starting up the car before tossing a slightly sarcastic wave at Mr Snoke as they left the parking lot.

"Good timing 'eh?" Rey snorted. Finn rolled his eyes.

"It's not funny, Rey, you were supposed to be about at 3 o'clock what were you doing?"

"Gosh, I was just talking with Jessika and Rose about prom, don't be so serious."

"I'll be as serious as I damn want, Rey. That Snoke fella was getting angry, I could tell and I really didn't feel like getting in a punch-up because I was waiting for your late ass!" Finn paused, and sighed, looking at Rey who was staring at him in shock of his outburst, "'m sorry. I shouldn't've shouted like that. It's not your fault."

"Why would he have wanted to punch you? You were just sittin' in your car," she said quietly.

"You know exactly why. Folks in this town still refuse to accept people like me- black people like me," he said calmly but with a hint of defeat and exasperation in his voice.

They both sat in silence for possibly a few minutes- possibly years or possibly forever- before Rey spoke up, changing the subject to something more light hearted and casual- something that would make them briefly forget the encounter with Renaud Snoke.

"My prom is next week."

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah, a bit, but my date cancelled on me and I have no one to go with."

"Who was your date?"

"Kyle Ren, he's in my English class. I didn' want to go with him anyway really, but he can be cool sometimes so I said yeah; but now he's ditchin' it to go and hang out with his Imperial High friends and I can't go with any of my friends because they all have dates! Jess is takin' some French boy called Louis and Rose is goin' with Deejay."

"So what are you going to do?" Finn asked, sensing what was following but too exhausted to fight it.

"Well, I was thinkin'... will you go with me? You only need to dance with me until I get the attention of someone else. Please Finn? Please?"

"Do I really have to? Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at her briefly before turning his attention back to the Lightspeed highway that lead North-West towards the Mississippi-Arkansas border and the boundary of D'Qar County.

Rey nodded, "Please Finn. I could go alone but I need someone there in case my friends go off with their dates and I'm stuck there. I'll have to ask Dad if you won't come," she pleaded with puppy dog eyes. "Also it's the last time you'll have to be at Resistance with me before we go off to college. C'mon Finn."

"Alright, whatever. I can't put Luke through that, and if it makes you happy and quiet, I'll go," he gave in and smiled to himself as his sister squealed and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a sticky lip gloss mark in its wake. He chuckled at her childishness and sped up as they hit an empty stretch of road, causing both to laugh in exhilaration as the wind slapped them in the face, saving them from drowning in the swampy air.

\- - - - - - - -

[ 22nd June ]

The looks the pair received didn't change much once they had entered the dancehall, where _Yakety Yak_ by The Coasters was playing and kids were swinging each other about.

Under the guidance of Principal Leia Organa, who happened to be the pair's aunt, Resistance High was a lot less conservative than it had been under the ex-Principal Palpatine, who was ruled with an iron fist while Finn was there. Palpatine was very much against the integration of the school and was a vocal supporter of the Jim Crow Laws.

The Principal had lead the then-called _New Republic High_ into scandal regarding the embezzlement of school funds and money laundering; leading to his sacking, the appointment of Leia Organa and the renaming to Resistance.

It had annoyed Finn that he was in his last year when the change happened, after spending three years being racially abused and bullied- with the perpetrators receiving no punishment from the Principal- things started to get better just as he was about to leave.

The only help he had ever received during his time under Snoke's leadership was from supportive teachers who had once been the minority but had thankfully become the majority once the year had entered the 60s; most notably his Spanish teacher Señora Bey, his Religion teacher Mr Rook and his maths professor Dr. Andor. All three were like him- an ethnic minority- or were immigrants, so it was nice to have at some people in his corner who understood what he was going through. His Aunt Leia did what she could; but as a woman, she too was mostly ignored by the more senior members of the governing board until her promotion.

  
The coloured lights bathed the room in soft pinks and blue while white balloons floated all over the place.

Rey looked beautiful in her dress; a simple strapless, pink, knee high number with a row off small roses along the top and bottom hems. Her long dark hair had been pulled back in her signature three bun style and she had put on her late mother's rose quartz necklace and matching earrings. Meanwhile Finn wore the same white tux and black bow tie that he had worn to his prom two years before.

"Oh look! My friends are already here, I'll introduce you- just to warn you, Rose may have developed a lil' crush on you," Rey giggled and pulled Finn towards the far right corner of the room where a group of teens sat laughing and swigging from cola filled glasses.

"Rey! You look so pretty!"  
"My lord, I'm so jealous of your dress!"  
"It's so good to see you!"  
"I wasn' sure you'd turn up, when I heard that Kyle had ditched."

The girls' voices all seemed to blend into one while they chatted quickly. Rey paused and pulled Finn closer to her and introduced him to the group.

"Guys, this is my brother Finn. Finn, you know Jess and Rose already, and this is Deejay Slicer," she motioned to a slightly twitchy boy, "Louis L'ampar, he's not the best with English but he's really cool," a skinny, green suit wearing kid waved, "Carrie Kun and Tommy Wexley- but everyone calls him Snap," the couple turned and smiled before returning their focus to each other and kissing discreetly.

"Nice to meet you all," Finn smiled and sat down between Rey and Deejay. Rey automatically jumped into conversation with Jessika and Rose so Finn decided to get to know the two strange boys near him.

He noticed Deejay looking at him and Rey a little confused, Finn knew what he was thinking chuckled, "I'm adopted." The other's eyebrows shot up and he seemed shocked to have been addressed by the black boy.

"Oh-okay. I-its just I was-was w-wondering, because y-you're-"

"Black and she's white. I understand. We're used to it by now. So how do you know the girls; I'm sure I haven't met you before?"

"I-I'm Rose's friend, I-I go to D'Qar College with her s-sister P-Paige. W-we've known e-each other for years," he stuttered. Finn wasn't sure if it was a nervous thing or just a common occurrence with the boy.

"And you, Louis, how come you're here with Jessika?" Finn asked the blonde. He looked strangely at Finn, translating the best he could before slowly answering,

"I just moved f-from France. We 'ave _les_ sciences together and she can talk a _petit_ bit of _Français_ so it's okay," he said in a thick French accent, furrowing his eyebrows when stuck with words but just saying the French in the hope that they'd be able to understand what he meant.

"Where are you from in France? My dad said it's a beautiful country- even though he had been fighting there," Finn asked, thinking of all the stories Luke had told him and Rey about his experiences in the Air Force and getting shot down over northern Germany, where he was put into a prisoner-of-war camp until the British Liberation.

"I am from a petit town called Alderaan, near the Swiss border," he smiled softly. Snap turned around and started chatting to Louis in seemingly fluent French, engaging him in a conversation with himself and Carrie.

"Oh my gosh, I adore this song!" Rey yelled as _Tutti Frutti_ started to play. She stood up from the table and pulled Finn to his feet, "you must dance with me, Finn!" She laughed and swept him onto the dance floor.

-

Multiple songs flew past, each one starting with Rey shouting, "c'mon Finn! Just one more song- I promise!"

He never knew till then how well his sister could dance, and how bad he seemed in comparison. However he did crack a grin when _Please Mr. Postman_ began to play and Rey shrieked and spun him around and around. "Rey, I'm going to be sick!"

Suddenly the dance floor turned into anarchy when the opening riff of _Twist and Shout_ began to play. A tsunami of teens ran to the floor with their dates in their arms, pushing and shoving while throwing each other around, kicking out and violently swinging their arms. One such dancer flew into Rey, causing her to fall into Finn who caught her before she hit the floor.

Finn frowned and tapped the red haired boy who was currently obnoxiously dancing near a tall blonde girl with cropped hair, "excuse me, you just shoved my sister."

The boy turned around and sneered when he saw Finn and Rey with their arms interlinked. "What did you jus' say to me?"

"I said, you just shoved her. I expect you to apologise," Finn's voice hardened with protectiveness.

"Finn, c'mon just leave it. It doesn' matter," Rey said quietly, but he just sent her a look that she knew meant yes it matters, let me deal with it.

"Yeah, _monkey_ , listen to your girl and leave it. And darlin' why are you dancin' with this ape? He's like goddamn King Kong," the boy laughed spitefully.

"What the fuck did you just call me?" Finn seethed, he would've usually ignored the taunts but not in front of Rey, not in front of his sister.

"I think you heard, _monkey-boy_ , now why don' you go back to the jungle y'all came from and leave this lil white doll alone. Y'all beasts," he spat.

Rey pushed herself between Finn and Hux and pointed her index finger at the pale boy's face, "You best shut your mouth, Armitage Hux! I'm not havin' you speak to my brother like that! Get your head outta your ass and get yourself some manners and respect for others, you bastard."

He laughed even harder.

"Listen, missy; I've been nice to y'all so far but if you're gonna be black man's slut, I'll 'ave to get me an' the boys to teach you a lesson, yeah?" Hux smirked with venom before grabbing her wrist violently and smashing his mouth onto hers.

Rey shoved him away before being pulled back herself by her brother who turned on the red head and sent a fist straight into his jaw, causing Hux to stagger back in shock. His eyes turned to pit of fury and hatred and he returned a punch straight into Finn's cheek and another into his nose, causing blood to run down the bottom half of his face.

Just as Finn caught himself and was about to retaliate, Rey pushed herself into his chest and away from Hux while Snap and Louis jumped in and grabbed ahold of the aggressor and hauled him off the dance floor and seemingly out of the hall altogether.

Rey cupped her brother's face in her hands and looked at his injuries while the surrounding dancers started to notice what had just happened and had begun to stare at the siblings. "Why did you do that?" She whispered.

"I can deal with idiots like him after me, but if anyone even so much as upsets you- I will fight for you. Always."

"I didn't want you to do that. I didn't want you to get yourself in trouble."

"Boys like him need to be taught a lesson sometimes- a lesson to not grab people and force themselves upon them, or a lesson to not call people beasts based on their damn skin colour.

"I need to clean myself up, go and hang out with your friends for a bit, try to enjoy yourself. I'll be back soon, okay?" He smiled softly and hugged her, before leaving her on the dance floor as he headed towards the toilets.

It was empty as he had hoped and half expected as a dance competition had just been declared outside. " _Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to truly put on your dancing shoes and show me and your peers what you've got! The worthy winner will receive a..."_

He staggered to the basins and forced himself to look into the mirror, he could see the beginnings of a bruise start to form on his cheek and his nose didn't seem to have been broken, just pretty bloody. He turned on the taps and ran his aching fist under the cold water. In his cupped hands, water collected and he brought it to his face to try and wash the blood away.

"Jesus Christ, what happened to you?" A sudden voice startled him. He spun on the spot to where he was met with the view of a Hispanic boy with wild, curly hair and a deeply concerned looked etched upon his rather handsome features.

He neared Finn slowly and stared at the injuries that Hux had inflicted, taking in his deep brown eyes, trimmed black hair and dark, warm skin.

"I got in a fight with a guy who attacked my sister," Finn said quietly.

The boy smiled softly and replied, "I hope you got him back good. I'm Poe, Poe Dameron. I've seen you around town before I think, but I don't know your name."

"It's- I'm Finn Skywalker."

\- - - - - - -

"Poe? Poe? Are you even listening to me?" Shara smacked the back of her son's head.

" _Si, Mamá_ ," he said exasperatedly, "wait... what did you just say?"

His mother rolled her eyes dramatically, "I said, why did you even offer to help me with the prom if all you're goin' to do is sulk?"

Poe yawned and stretched his arms, "because _mamá_ , I want the leftovers of the buffet," he explained. Shara rolled her eyes again.

" _Tú y tu estomago_ ," she laughed, "you and your stomach. Go and make yourself useful, check if Cassian needs help with anything." She then promptly shoo'd him away and wandered over to where Resistance's Religious Education teacher, Mr Rook, stood with a glass of punch and a tapping foot.

Poe wove in boredom between the teen dancers, singing under his breath to the songs being played. He scanned the students around him to see if there was anyone who he could have a one-song dance with, but nobody caught his eye.

Except one.

A boy, in a white tux and black tie with black skin and a dazzling smile plastered to his face as he was spun by a smaller, energetic girl.

Poe decided he would wait until later to go up to the boy and start a conversation. Of course he recognised the boy a little, he lived with the veteran pilot Luke Skywalker and the old man's daughter on the edge of town- who was probably the girl he was dancing with. He moved himself to the edge of the floor, near the entrance to the toilets and watched the dancers, waiting for a moment when he could stroll up to unnamed Skywalker and perhaps ask for a dance.

"Dameron!"

" _Oh shit,_ " he whispered to himself and smiled at Ms Holdo- his old Sports teacher, "Hi, Ms Holdo! How are you?"

She purple haired woman gave Poe a stern glare that still caused the hairs on his arms to stand up and his blood to freeze. "I'm fine, thank you Mr Dameron. Why are you here? Didn't you leave 3 years ago?" She asked in an icy and suspicious tone.

"I'm helping out my mother with the behind-the-scenes stuff. Anyway I really need to use the toilets so I got to go, but I hope you have a good night," he spoke as quick as he could and practically ran into a toilet stall, breathing deeply to get his heart rate back to normal. How was it that even after school, the totalitarian dictator of New Republic/Resistance sports department still managed to make him as terrified as a child watching _Godzilla_.

He calmed himself, focussing on the music he could hear through the pulsating walls- _Twist And Shout_ ; and then another song started up.

When the door to the toilets swung open and shut with a bang, he jumped out of his skin and once again struggled to calm himself- damn nerves and stress, he thought.

He heard the running of water and a sharp, pained intake of breath. Suddenly he felt compelled to intervene, ask what had happened and try to help, so he did just that. He slowly opened the cubicle door and his jaw dropped when he saw the one and only Skywalker boy, bruised and bloodied in the mirror.

"Jesus Christ, what happened to you?"

\- - - - - - -

"It's- I'm Finn Skywalker," the bloody boy stuttered in surprise. Poe smiled warmly and stretched out his hand, before quickly retracting when he remembered the boy's state.

"Nice to meet you, Finn. Now do you want some help in cleaning up?" He asked kindly. Finn nodded a little in confusion and tensed when Poe walked up close to him, pulling a handkerchief from his trouser pocket. "Don't worry, buddy; it's completely clean I swear," Poe chuckled and reached around the boy to wet it slightly under the tap.

Finn leant against the sink and allowed Poe to come closer, heart thundering in his chest while trying to keep his eyes from wandering all over the elder's body. It wasn't working too well. All Finn could concentrate on was the way Poe's eyelashes fluttered with each blink, and the slight hint of cologne on his neck, and the way he unintentionally bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration when he raised his handkerchief to wipe gently at the blood on his face.

"I was just thinkin', how come you're here tonight, Finn? You seem older than all the kids here," Poe commented as he rewet the fabric. Finn's lips twitched in a smile, even the boy's voice was relaxing, his whole demeanour pulsated positivity.

He replied softly, "my sister's date cancelled on her and she guilt tripped me into coming. I'm not a fan of big town events- things like this usually take place or are threatened. Puts a downer on things, really." He was surprised at how openly he spoke with Poe, a stranger who had only appeared minutes and was now close enough that Finn could feel his breath.

"I sort of get what you mean, buddy. My family are Guatemalan immigrants, I know what it's like to stand out in a small town."

"How come your parents chose to settle here instead of somewhere less assholey, like New York or Detroit?" Finn asked.

Poe explained, "Well when they first came to the States, they settled in New Orleans- where I was born. But my ma got offered a well payin' job here as a Spanish teacher so we moved when I was about 15."

The black haired boy clicked his fingers and chuckled when recognition hit him, "Are you Señora Bey's son? I thought I recognised you. You were two grades above me right?"

Poe nodded and finished wiping Finn's face, looking carefully at his nose and the blooming bruises, "you'll want to ice that when you get home, avoid hot baths and stay cool- otherwise it'll probably bleed again.

"And yeah, Shara Bey's my ma, and the reason I'm here tonight; I promised to help out in return for free food and some extra gas money."

Finn laughed and Poe's eyes roamed the boy's face, his heart flipping when he saw the way Finn's teeth shone while he beamed, and the little crinkles by his eyes as he let out a soft and deep sounding chuckle.

Soon his laughter faded and the boys were left staring at each other in silence. A silence that was neither comfortable nor awkward, a silence that filled the space where words were meant to said and time that was meant to be spent doing something- not staring at each other, the pair of them too scared to disrupt the gentle equilibrium that they created.

"So..."

"So..."

"I'm sorry about blooding up your handkerchief, I'll give you the money to buy a new one," Finn said at last. Poe shook his head,

"No; don' worry about it. You see, this is my special clean up bleeding boys in bathrooms handkerchief. I keep it on me at all times- my ma is real good at gettin' stains out," he retorted. Finn threw him a grin, one which was returned immediately.

"I get you, so you like to hang out in bathrooms and wait for injured guys to come in so you can swoop in and be the hero? Like a suburban Superman, huh?"

"Exactly; except I only help the pretty ones. Wait a sec- you're not actually from the South are you?" Poe smirked when Finn blushed slightly.

"How could you tell?"

"Your accent, pal. And you speak all proper and northern-y," he replied.

"I'm from Takodana, Washington, originally. I spent most of my childhood in foster and care homes but when I was about 13, I was adopted by Luke Skywalker- he knew my parents, but wasn't aware of my situation- and he brought me down here. Why am I telling you my life story, god, I'm sorry-"

"No, no, you don't need to apologise to me, Finn. You're an fascinating guy, I'd love to get to know you more."

Finn's heart skipped a beat. He pushed himself off the sinks and towards Poe, who had taken a few steps back during their conversation and was now leaning against the door of an out-of-order stall. He looked at the Hispanic boy shyly, feeling himself blush harder under his inquisitive and curious gaze.

"What do you do, Finn? College? Work?"

"I help out at my uncle's garage. I want to be a lawyer but no colleges in the south are accepting African-Americans and I don't want to go north until Rey heads to college too."

"That's total shit, I'm sorry," Poe said in surprisingly angry tone.

"Yeah it is. But what about you? What do you do Mr Dameron?" Finn smiled at Poe's well meaning outrage.

"Well, I'm a mechanic without a place of work at the moment. I was in the Air Force until a few months ago when I was discharged. For-for being homosexual..."

The word hung in the air for an eternity. Poe intently watching Finn's face for any indication of hatred or disgust or confusion. He waited with baited breath, imagining every possible outcome of his current situation. _Why did he just say that? Why didn't he wait? He barely knew Finn Skywalker of Takodana, Washington. What was he thinking?_

Once again silence grew between them but this time it was full of uneasiness and _what ifs?_

Outside the empty bathroom, the prom was still raging on. Girls were flapping their dresses while well-dressed boys spun them around in endless circles and grabbed their waists, half with confidence, half with naïvety and bewilderment. A girl with three buns in a pink dress had found herself currently dancing with a small, orange haired girl who was locally known as Beebee.

Finn coughed, "you-you're homosexual?" He ignored his racing heartbeat and sweaty palms.

Poe nodded slowly.

"Okay... I'm s-sorry that they did that to you, just because of who you like. _That's total shit_ ," the tension in Poe's shoulders melted away when he heard his own words repeated back to him.

He looked down at his feet and allowed himself to sign in relief, "You're a good man, Finn".

Finn smiled softly; "if it makes you feel any better, I like guys too- but girls as well." Poe looked up from his feet in slight shock but shook his head and chuckled.

"Good to know."

" _Right folks, the end of the night will soon be upon us but we have a few more songs to go. So go grab your nearest and dearest and sway along to Elvis Presley's_ Can't Help Falling In love," the announcer called out before the opening notes of the song began to play, penetrating the bathroom walls and filling the quietness of the space between the blushing boys.

Finn's lips curled into a warm, gentle smile and he extended his hand, "Poe Dameron, may I have this dance?" The other blinked back in surprise but nodded.

"What if someone walks in?" He whispered as he neared Finn. He shrugged.

"We say we're just messing around or something. It's fine, just let's enjoy this for a moment. Just us in here while the rest of those opinionated assholes are out there, in another world. C'mon," Finn placed his hands gently on Poe's narrow waist while the Hispanic boy gingerly put his arms around Finn's neck.

"I'm twenty-one years old and feelin' like a fourteen year old girl," Poe confessed causing Finn to break out in laughter.

The pair fell into quietness and slowly stepped and turned in time with the song; both humming lightly along to the tune, feeling the heat radiate from each other's bodies and trying to ignore their own pounding hearts thumping against their rib cages.

" _shall I stay? would it be a sin, if I can't help falling in love with you?_ " Poe sang under his breath, placing his head into the crook of Finn's shoulder; mouth almost touching the warm skin of his neck. Finn rubbed small circles onto Poe's waist and hips with his fingers as they continued to sway. " _Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes; somethings were meant to be..."_

" _take my hand, take my whole life too. 'Cause I can't help falling in love with you..._ " Elvis sang from the other room.

The boys rocked together in their own private world of bliss- away from the looks and sniggers they received, away from the stinging comments and the unfairness of the society they were forced into, away from people like Renaud Snoke and Armitage Hux and Amilyn Holdo; who continued to scare and belittle even when not physically there. In their bathroom, their world, they were the only two in it. They were safe and could be who they truly wanted to be, Poe _could_ still be a daring pilot and Finn _could_ be a lawyer and neither would have to face what they had ever again. In their world, they were _free_.

The song played on, slowly drawing itself to a close with the final words, " _I can't help falling in love with you,_ " being echoed from the lips from both the white jacketed and black jacketed boy. Poe moved his head up so his forehead rested against Finn's, so close together that they shared the same breath, so close they if they just leaned a fraction forward, they'd be kissing.

Finn's eyes darted from Poe's lips to his soft pink lips, his actions mirrored by Poe who raised his hand from the top of Finn's back to the place on his neck where skin met thick hair, curing his fingers in the tight coils.

Neither could breathe until their lips finally met in a shy, ginger touch. Sweet and pure, not fuelled by mindless lust and want but instead longing and the knowledge that they were not alone. Finn moved his hands up Poe's side before resting them on his spine, using this position to bring Poe closer to him.

Adrenaline ran through their veins and their eyes remained tightly shut, not wanting to break the illusion that they were somewhere else entirely, and not in a school bathroom in north west Mississippi. In their heads, they were in New York, or San Francisco, or Las Vegas or somewhere as far flung as Minnesota. Anywhere but D'Qar.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of nearing footsteps and the door swinging open, causing Poe and Finn to jump apart and start to engage in a inconspicuous conversation. "You sure that you're okay? Your nose seemed pretty busted," Poe asked, looking over his shoulder as he watched the newcomer wander over to a stall.

Finn nodded, "Yeah, but my dad is going to be so mad when he sees my jacket. I won't be able to get this stain out and I'll have to buy a new one- which really sucks."

Poe's eyes lit up and he shrugged off his own black suit jacket, handing it to Finn, "take mine and I'll get my ma to get the stain out. Then we can meet sometime and I'll give it you back."

"You sure?" Finn said pulling of his white, blood stained jacket. Poe nodded.

"Yeah of course," Poe smiled as Finn put on the back jacket, a perfect fit.

"I'll give it you back as soon as I can," he promised.

"No worries, buddy. Keep it- it suits you." He threw Finn a wink and discreetly place a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Get home safe." And with that, and a squeeze of his hand, Poe left the bathroom leaving Finn with only his thoughts and a Poe-Dameron-smelling jacket.

He leant against the sinks and tilt his head back until it touched the old mirrored wall. "Are you alrigh' man? I saw that Hux kid attack you and that girl earlier, nasty piece of work." Finn opened his eyes, widening them when he saw the boy in front.

Another black boy dressed in all purple sporting a gold chain. "Yeah I'm fine thanks-"

"Lando Calrissian. You're Finn Skywalker right? Han Solo's nephew?" Finn nodded. "Cool, man. I'll see you around." And he too left the bathroom to join the dying party.

Finn stood, recollecting the past half and hour or so, unable to believe the events that had just unfolded. Unable to believe that he had just been kissed by his old Spanish teacher's son; or how he was now wearing said-son's jacket; or that he had just met probably the only other black man in D'Qar county.

Poe Dameron was a whirlwind of expression, excitement and emotion, a whirlwind that Finn was ready to get swept up in.

Maybe it wasn't love at first sight- but it was pretty damn close.


End file.
